Fume exhausting apparatus for use with ingot molds



July 29, 1941. T. E. HUGHES J FUME EXHAUSTING APPARATUS FOR USE WITH .I-NGOT MOLDS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 27, 1939 III lmeizz'orx 72/0/ 145 5 HUQHES, @F W i v aw 'Flg. 1.

Patented July 29 1941 FFICBB- FUME EXHAUSTING APPARATUS FOR USE WITH INGOT MOLDS Thomas E. Hughes, Duquesne, Pa. Application July 2'1, 1939, Serial No. 286,911

2 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for collecting and exhausting the fumes and gases issuing'fromthe top of ingot molds during the pouring thereof.

1n the manufacture of steel ingots, it is the usual practice to providea plurality of successively aligned ingot molds and pour the same through the top thereof from alarge ladle of molten steel which is suspended and moved, along the row of ingot molds usually by means of an overhead travelling crane. It is sometimes desirable to manufacture leaded-steel ingots; that is, steel ingots containing a certain amount of lead; primarily for improving the machineability of the finished steel. The lead is usually added to the steel at the time of pouring the same into the molds in the form of small lead shot and when these fine particles of lead come into contact with the hot metal, a large amount of lead fumes and gases issue forth from the top of the mold which, of course, are poisonous and dangerous, and, oftentimes, fatal to human life. In

order to collect and carry away these poisonous lead fumes so as to protect the workmen in the vicinity of the pouring operations, it is proposed to employ the apparatus of the present invention. Accordingly, it is one of the objects of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for collecting and exhausting the fumes and gases issuing from the top of ingot molds during the pouring thereof which will eiliciently and effectively carry the same therefrom, thereby eliminating the, escape of such gases and fumes into the surrounding atmosphere. I It is another object of the invention to pro vide an improved apparatus for collecting and exhausting the fumes and gases issuing-from the top of the ingot molds during the pouring thereof which can be conveniently and safely used and, at the same time, apparatus which is simple and inexpensive in its construction and use.

Various other objects and advantages of this invention will bemore apparent in the course Referring more particularly to the drawings,

'there is .shown a pouring platform 2 suitably arranged along the side of the tracks 3 on which mold cars 4 are adapted to run for carrying the ingot molds 5. As is theconventional practice, the ingot molds ,5 are successively aligned in front of the pouring platform'and there is provided a sufiicient number of ingot molds to accommodate the heat of the steel to be poured and there is also provided a conventional ladle 6 for carrying the molten'steel which isadapted to be conveyed from the furnace to the pouring station or the line of ingot molds by means .of an overhead crane.

According to the present invention, there ,is adapted to be arranged on the bottom side of the ladle 6 around the pouring nozzle 'l'there'of an elongated sheet metal hood member 8 being of such length as to bedisposed over a plurality of ingot molds at one time, preferably four in number, and having a width at least equal to the width of the topof the molds and preferably slighter greater than such width. The hood 8 is removably attached 'to the bottom of the ladle I 6 by means of angle'irons 9 and [0 which are L adapted to act as a track for slidably receiving the upper flanged edges of the hood. The hood preferably has an opening I! in the side thereof next to the pouring platform, opposite the nozzle I, which is substantially equal' in width to the width of an ingot mold and adapted for a purpose hereinafter to be described.

.There issuitably arranged on the platform 2,

of the following specification and will be .par-

ticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings there is shown,

for the purpose of illustration, one embodiment which my invention may assume in practice. In these drawings:

Figure lis a plan view of the improved fume exhausting apparatus of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 11-11 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line III-III of parallel to the line of ingot molds, a longitudinally extending suction header pipe or manifold l3 having'a plurality of spaced apart connections I arranged therealong. The suction header is connected preferably centrally thereof to a connection 15 which is, in turn, connected to a fan, filter or stack, or other suitable exhausting means, and to such other filtering or fume collecting equipment as is considered necessary. There is provided a flexible hose connection l6,

'one end of which is adapted to be preferably permanently attached to the hood 8 at H. on the other end of the hose I 6 there is provided a coupling or connecting member which is mounted on, a carriage l8 and which is adapted to be removably connected to any one of the connections l4 arranged in and along the suction header I3. The carriage I8 is movably disposed on tracks I9 suitably arranged below the suction header l3 and parallel thereto so as to support and aid in conveying and facilitate the handling of same 18 so as to aid in positioning it opposite tus of the present invention functions in the following manner: The ladle 6 of molten steel is moved to position opposite the pouring platform by means of the overhead crane as described. The hood 8 is then positioned on the bottom of the ladle around the pouring nozzle 1 thereof by sliding the upper flanged edges of the hood into the tracks formed by the angle irons 9 and Ill so that the hood is disposed over the aligned row of ingot molds and extends back over the two ingot molds that have previously been poured so as to collect any fumes or gases escaping while the ingots are freezing therein. The hood 8 has the opening l2 in the side thereof so as to permit the operator to watch the pouring of the metal into the ingot mold being poured and to permit the placing of the lead shot into the mold as it is being poured in the manufacture of leaded steel ingots. As the ladle is moved along the row of ingot molds, and it reaches a position in which the flexible hose It will not satisfactorily reach to the end connection M to which it is attached, the valve or gate 20 thereof is closed and the connection It disengaged therefrom and moved to a position opposite the next succeeding or nearest connection l'l along the suction header i3 and attached thereto. This hose connection is transferred and moved along the suction header II, as described, as the progress of the pouring continues.

and the wall of the mold. The ladle is then moved back and the hot top filled with the molten metal. Such pouring is repeated, as described, throughout the line of molds. In order that the present apparatus may be used with ingot molds having hot tops thereon as well as with molds not using hot tops, and to secure all of the ad vantages thereof, the front of a hood 8 is extendedsufilciently so as to cover the mold in front thereof that has been poured up to the bottom of the hot top and collect the gases and the fumes issuing therefrom while the hot top of the previous mold poured is being filled.

While I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that this embodiment is merely for the purpose of illustration and description and that various other forms may be devised within thelscope of my invention, as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus of the class describedincluding, in combination, an elongated hood member for collecting gases and fumes from a series of successively aligned ingot molds as they are being poured, means for removably attaching said hood to the bottom of the pouring ladle so as to be disposed around the pouring nozzle therein and extending downwardly therefrom directly over the molds, said hood member supported solely by said ladle and adapted to be spaced from the molds and being of such length as to be disposed It will thus be seen that as the gases escape from the ingot molds, they collect in under the hood 8 and are conveyed safely therefrom through the hose it into the header pipe l3 and out into the stack or other safe place of disposal by means of a fan or other suitable exhaust equipment.

After the heat has been poured or when the ladle has been emptied of the molten steel, the hood 8 is then removed from the bottom of the ladle and placed upon the platform until the next pouring operation. The ladle then it returned V to the furnace to be refilled with molten steel or Y to its place of storage until the next heat is to be poured.

When ingot molds are poured having hot tops thereon, it is customary to fill the mold up to the bottom of the hot top positioned therein and then proceed to the next mold and pour itlikewise to the bottom of the hot top in order to permit the steel in the first mold to freeze and seal the clearance space between the wall of the hot top over a plurality of ingot molds at one time, a flexible hose connection having one end thereof securely attached to said hood and communicating "with the interior thereof, and movable 'means arranged along the series of successively aligned ingot molds which is adapted to support the opposite end of said flexible hose connection with said end adapted to be removably attached to any one of a series of connections arranged 1 along said movable means for conveying'the gases and fumes from in under said hood.

2. Apparatus of the class described including, in combination, an elongated hood member for collecting gases and fumes from a series of 5110- molds and being of such length as to be disposed over a plurality of ingot molds at one time, a flexible hose connection having one end thereof securely attached to said hood and communicating with the interior thereof, a trackway arranged along and substantially parallel to the series of successively aligned ingot molds, and a movable carriage arranged on said trackwaywhich is adapted to support the opposite end of said flexible hose connection with said end adapted to be removably attached to any one of a series of connections arranged along the trackway for conveying the gases and fumes from in under said hood.

THOMAS E. HUGHES. 

